Pro-Choice And Anti-Abortion, And Unconventional Opinion

I know at some point I will be asked about this issue, a taboo subject that is a real party killer when it comes up.

I know at some point I will be asked about this issue, a taboo subject that is a real party killer when it comes up. What are your thoughts about abortion?

My usual response is that I have no business commenting on this topic since I don’t have a uterus or a vagina and I don’t believe that anybody without those features to their anatomy should be writing the policy on them. Having said that should I even continue?

Zoey was born at 23 weeks gestation and in the medical community 24 weeks is still considered the viable age for life. I have read stories of doctors telling their patients that there is nothing they can do and walking out of the room because the child was born too early, that there is nothing they can do before the 24-week mark. I was lucky not having that happen to me. Through technology, things have changed so much in the past ten years that Zoey’s odds of survival are somewhere between 50-75%. In most of the united states a micro-preemies survival rate is 50%, but in places like our NICU, she has a 75% rate of success in going home.

We were told there was a chance she could have complications with her early birth, Brain bleeds, damaged lungs, a heart murmur babies her age are born with, possible blindness, and of course death. Even with a 50% survival rate how could anybody say “no” to doing everything possible to help her alive?

Legally, if Zoey was under different circumstances her mother could still have chosen to have an abortion. This boggled my mind to know that a fetus with a 50/50 chance of survival could still be aborted in our day and age. The new question I ask is, at what point do we consider these beings a life?

Officially I am pro-choice and anti-abortion. This view tends to leave people confused and angry that they think I am playing with their heads, so let me explain. I don’t think that a woman should be forced to carry a fetus to term. I also believe that abortion is a horrible experience for the mother and the fetus. I doubt that anybody looks forward to having one.

The other point that I try to make is the argument for sex education. There is a push in this country for abstinence-only sex ED and it has been a complete failure. The state of Texas implemented this policy and almost immediately saw a spike in teenage pregnancy. Their response was to make it nearly impossible for a woman to receive the care they needed. To make this argument shorter, if you don’t want women to be in the circumstances to think about having an abortion teach them how to have safe sex to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Here is where I think, we as a country, should consider a change. Because of the advancement of technology and the increasing odds of survival for babies like Zoey, isn’t it ethically and morally right to move the cut-off point for abortions back to the point of no possible survival?

I know that not every child has parents like Zoey. Some have to make the choice of letting their child pass away and every circumstance is different. Unfortunately for some babies, undeveloped and without hope for something close to a normal life it is the most humane option. Again, this is the parent’s choice and not an easy one.

If pro-life proponents want to make a valid argument for their case and really make a difference for their cause they need to promote education. As for the pro-choice side if they want to appear more humane in their argument they should consider moving the line back for access. Micro-preemies like Zoey only show that the old science no longer applies, this isn’t the 1970’s anymore.

Medicine is an applied science and the science has changed the game. Both sides could compromise if they only talk about the topic, but they are too bull headed to their cause to listen.

I’m thankful to live in a time that science has allowed me to have my girl as long as it has. If it was left to God’s will I would not have her today. I thank the doctors and advancement in medicine for having her today, without that Zoey would never have had a chance. Life has a funny way of presenting a new view on things where you least expect it.

Like I said at the beginning of this, I have no business trying to influence policy on something that won’t affect my gender. Women have a right to receive healthcare. No federal money goes to pay for abortions at Planned Parenthood. Adolescent teenagers will eventually have sex and the facts show the less they know about it the more likely they will become pregnant. The purpose of this article is to point out that at 23 weeks a child can still be born, fight for its life if given the tools, and can still live a normal life. Shouldn’t our laws adapt with science when the old logic no longer applies?